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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Amelia Overhears
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"Yawn..."
[Reader, are you sleepy?]
"Of course I am..."
Wouldn't it be weird if I wasn't?
I stayed up all night, bored out of my mind, guarding Yushiu's house.
Even if I'm in a younger body now, tired is still tired.
[...I'm a little disappointed. I thought something exciting would happen since you're the protagonist.]
"I told you, things don't always happen just because you're the protagonist."
If incidents happened all year round, my body wouldn't last.
Just because you're the protagonist doesn't mean you're always getting dragged into trouble.
Fortunately, the Author seemed to understand, and wasn't too disappointed.
"Huuuugh..."
"Oh, hello."
"?!"
As Yushiu stepped out, I waited a moment, then timed my greeting.
What? Why is he so surprised?
...Did he figure it out? Nah, no way.
He's probably just surprised to coincidentally run into a pretty girl from his class.
"What a coincidence. Do you live around here?"
"Uh, uh-huh... That's right."
"You look tired. You shouldn't be. You need to get plenty of sleep."
I gave a bright smile.
Good, that should raise his favorability.
By the way, why are Yushiu's dark circles so prominent?
Didn't he sleep? Why?
[Reader! Reader! Let's go to school with Shiu!]
The Author started pestering me relentlessly.
Can't be helped, I guess.
"Since things are this way, why don't we go to the academy together?"
"To, together...?"
"Yes, together."
Yushiu nodded, and the Author cheered.
It seems they're happy to keep watching the protagonist of their own story.
Looks like they've completely gotten over being mad now.
Seems like they've forgotten all about it, even?
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to academy life today too."
I should keep smiling.
They say you can't spit on a smiling face, so maybe my impression will improve, even just a little.
Arte didn't notice Shiu's stiff expression.
Her vision was narrowed by exhaustion.
***
"Alright, everyone. You worked hard sitting at your desks yesterday. We won't be doing any theory today, so don't worry."
"Oooooh...!"
At Teacher Claire's words, the students started to get excited.
They must really hate theory, huh.
Well, I hate studying just as much, so.
Is there really no difference?
"So, Author. What are you planning to do today?"
[Hmm... We've already chosen weapons and had sparring, so today I'm thinking of doing magic measurement!]
"Magic measurement, huh. But isn't that something usually done during the entrance ceremony...?"
I mean, isn't it?
Usually, things like magic measurement and ability confirmation are done right at the beginning, during the entrance ceremony.
You put your hand on a crystal ball, and 'Whoaaaaaah! That guy has an incredible amount of magic! A prodigy!'
Or something like that.
'Whoaaaaaah, an S-rank ability! Amazing!'
Stuff like that.
The order is weird to begin with.
Now that I think about it, we did sparring without even measuring anything first.
[Ah, ehehe... Well! It was supposed to be done at the entrance ceremony, but the device was broken during the monster attack, and the new one we just got has only just arrived, that's the setup.]
"Hmm..."
From their trailing off, I pretty much get it.
They forgot again, didn't they?
They just focused on dropping the monster without thinking, then later realized they missed an opportunity to use a plot device.
Well, it's a plausible enough setup, so I'll let it slide.
If I nag the Author all the time, it'd be a disaster if they got offended at a crucial moment.
Sometimes, I have to let things go.
"Today, we'll be doing magic measurements. It was supposed to happen on enrollment day, but as you all know, there was a problem."
I could hear the students murmuring.
Meaningless chatter about who's stronger, betting, 'you're no match for me,' and so on.
"And after the magic measurement, there will be club applications, so keep that in mind."
...Clubs?
[Well, you know those clubs. The ones that find opportunities others can't! Places where you can legally leave the academy!]
"Ah, that one."
You mean the place protagonists of regression/reincarnation/possession novels always look for.
The one kids who enter games sometimes look for too.
A place where you bring elixirs from outside the academy.
Teacher Claire, who had recited the day's schedule, disappeared into the faculty office, and a short break was given.
Taking advantage of the break, I slipped away from the students' eyes to talk to the Author.
Because I felt like I needed to have a somewhat important conversation.
It's hard to concentrate when the students are chattering.
...Hmm, this spot looks good.
I settled down in a secluded area behind the school, where people were unlikely to pass by.
"It'll be hard to find fun outside the academy, Author."
[Hmm, that's true. There's a saying that academy novels become boring as ghosts once they leave the academy...]
Right. The fate of novels set in academies.
They become boring as ghosts once they leave the academy.
Oh, excluding brief excursions, of course.
Of course, there are some novels that aren't like that, but...
I've seen countless novels where readers drop off the moment the story completely leaves the academy in the middle or late stages.
Of course, eventually we'll have to leave the academy. You can't just develop the story within the academy until the very end.
But still, it's the very beginning of the novel now, and they're already looking outside the academy.
The Author must already be running out of ideas and looking for new material.
Fearing the Author might abandon the pen, I threw out a suitable idea.
"Finding treasure inside the academy. Isn't that interesting, Author?"
[Academy's treasure...?]
"Uhuhuhu... A secret room hidden by the academy's founder. A special artifact hidden within... That sounds interesting."
Wouldn't this be good?
I think it's a pretty decent plot for something I came up with in such a short time.
Even if we leave the academy later, it's still the very beginning right now.
I think it's fine to develop the story this way while we're in the academy.
"A dangerous artifact hidden by the founder is on the verge of being taken outside the academy by someone, and the students stop them... Wouldn't this be a good general framework?"
[Ooooh...! That sounds interesting! This is material I can use for a long time! As expected of the Reader! A genius!]
"Oh, come on, don't flatter me so much."
Still, being praised didn't feel bad, and a laugh escaped me.
It seemed like all that time spent reading webnovels wasn't in vain.
Right, in academy novels, events should happen inside the academy.
If you set a large framework, the plot developments will naturally come to mind.
For now, let's just lay a solid foundation.
[A certain faction aiming for an artifact that, if it got out into the world, could literally turn the world upside down...! Ooh, good! We'll make that the evil force!]
"An artifact that can turn the world upside down, huh. Sounds interesting. Hehe..."
[Hmm, what should we decide for the artifact's ability?]
"No need to rush. We have plenty of time to think, slowly, very slowly."
[Alright! Ahh, I'm excited. How should we develop it to make it interesting!]
"I'm looking forward to it too. How Yushiu will act from now on..."
While laughing and talking with the Author, it suddenly occurred to me that this too was a cliché.
Should I try it? I've wanted to try it too.
Alright, let's do it.
[...? Reader? What are you doing?]
"Just a moment."
I stopped the Author with a small voice.
Although they expressed doubt, I was slightly grateful that they complied with my words.
"You there, come out."
I tried shouting the line I had prepared.
Hmm, as expected. A scene like this needs a line like that, doesn't it? It's cool.
I took out the dagger I had hidden in my pocket, looked at the target tree... and aimed.
"If you won't come out... then I'll have to make you."
And fired.
The dagger, released from my grip, flew and embedded itself in the tree trunk.
In a tree far off from the direction I was looking.
[Reader, you missed spectacularly...]
"..."
No, well.
I mean, it's okay to miss a little...
Someone who's never even properly held a kitchen knife couldn't possibly throw a dagger accurately.
[Wow, you were looking that way, but it flew over there? Isn't that a talent in itself?]
"Heh, hehe... Be quiet. It seems I was mistaken."
[Oh, you like scenes like this... Well, I'll remember that. I hope a scene you like appears in the novel someday!]
My face burned.
I shouldn't have done it.
No, but I just couldn't help myself.
When you're in a secluded spot, holding a dagger.
And if you're having a conversation with someone.
Isn't this the ultimate cliché of someone secretly listening to an important conversation?
I really wanted to try it.
"Let's go back quickly. Class is about to start."
[The Reader's preference is infiltration, or spies. Noted...]
Shut up!
A guy can like that kind of thing sometimes!
...Oh, now that I think about it, I didn't pick up the dagger.
Doesn't matter, I guess. It's just a supply item anyway.
I'll just ask for another one later.
***
"H-Hee. Huff. Heek..."
A long time after Arte had left the spot.
From behind the tree where the dagger was stuck, a blonde girl with neatly braided bangs crawled out.
Yes, it was Amelia.
"H-Huff... My, my heart hurts. I, I thought I was going to die."
She hadn't been able to breathe properly, fearing her gasps would be heard, so she took ragged breaths to steady herself.
Her legs, now free from excessive tension, seemed unable to move for a while.
Amelia sighed.
"I just wanted to check which student it was, but why did this happen...?"
Right.
That irritating kid who abandoned the sparring match went into a secluded spot, so.
Just a little, a very little.
She just couldn't resist her curiosity and followed.
"What's this 'secret room' now? And an 'artifact that can overturn the world'...!"
She'd never heard of such things.
The academy's founder hid such an artifact?
She didn't want to believe it.
She wanted to dismiss it as the delusions of a chuunibyou girl, but the dagger visible through her trembling vision.
The dagger that had flown towards her, seemingly on purpose, even though Arte had been looking in a different direction.
It felt like it was telling her that what she had heard was true.
"Yushiu, they said Yushiu."
They definitely mentioned him before leaving the spot, didn't they?
They said they were looking forward to how Yushiu would act.
Was some kind of interest directed towards him, the one who resolved the monster incident?
Or was he some kind of collaborator with Arte Isis, someone who knew both of them?
The necessity of meeting Yushiu had arisen.
"U-Ugh. I need to go to the bathroom...! Legs, please move...!"
Before that, I need to go to the bathroom.